Death of delayed gratification

Firstly, this article is not advocating against savings. It is about leaving things to be enjoyed at a later date without knowing when its value will be gone. Let me give an example. A few years ago, I bought my mother a smartphone. It was a terrible phone but that is another topic. The smartphone came with a lot of free gifts (which were also junk but that is also a different story) that my mother could not find a use for and I stored them for a rainy day. 

One of the free gifts was a Bluetooth earpiece. I left the device in its original packaging for three years and finally used it two days ago. The earpiece worked but it was not able to connect to my new smartphone. I checked the issue and it turned out that the earpiece was on an older standard that was no longer supported. I could jury rig a solution but at that point, it was much easier to buy a new earpiece. 

I have kept computer games to be played at a later date and found that they could not work with my new operating system. I have kept aside old accessories only to discover that their cables could no longer connect to new devices. One could see if there are connectors that allow the old devices to work with new devices but it is like deciphering an ancient language. You are sure to lost something in the translation and some language just cannot be cracked. 

At the end of the day, IT products are like perishables. It is best to use them when they are fresh. If you want delayed gratification, it is better not to purchase them.